Sudden storms plunge greater Sydney into cold, dark chaos

Manuel Mitternacht

Wild weather lashes Sydney

A wild thunderstorm affected sport all around the greater Sydney area. Pictures from various events by SMH photographers Steve Lunam, Jenny Evans and Nick Moir with additional photos via wire service photographers. Like these photos? Selected images are available at fairfaxsyndication.com. Follow us at http:twitter.com/photosSMH. Photo: Jenny Evans

Heavy storms swept over the Sydney Basin and from the mid-central coast down to Kiama on Saturday afternoon.

Within minutes, temperatures dropped sharply from 30degrees in Bankstown to 19.5 degrees as the storm rolled in from the west at 4pm.

The storm developed over the Blue Mountains and moved swiftly towards the coast, causing traffic delays and flash flooding.

Todd Burns from the State Emergency Service reported 45 calls for leaking roofs and fallen branches.

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‘‘Calls are still coming in; the worst-affected part was Sydney’s west and down south to the Illawarra,’’ he said.

‘‘We had emergency calls coming in from 4pm and we expect more to come. However, there was only minor damage.’’

The weather also played havoc with public transport.

The T1 Western Line and Blue Mountains Line were partially closed between Lidcombe and Parramatta in both directions due to lightning strikes affecting signals at Granville.

The T2 Inner West & South Line was also partially closed between Lidcombe and Granville in both directions.

Buses replaced trains between Lidcombe and Parramatta in both directions, as well as between Lidcombe and Granville in both directions.

Passengers are advised to allow plenty of additional travel time, listen to station announcements and check indicator boards.

The A-League football match between the Sydney Wanderers and Adelaide United was delayed after the pitch in Parramatta Stadium was drenched.

The AFL game between GWS Giants and Sydney Swans was stopped for a while because of the storm, which drenched Spotless Stadium when the Swans were leading 6.2 (38) to 4.1 (25). And within half an hour, the skies were clear.